With that in mind, Hailey showered using unscented body wash. She also was careful not to use any colognes or lotions after her shower that had any sort of scent to them. She wanted to take absolutely no chances. The last thing she wanted was for those baby blue eyes of his to suddenly become bloodshot or blurry because of something she had unconsciously put on, washed with or accidentally applied to her skin.
The only thing she wanted to do when the night ended was leave Dillon wanting more.
She hurried through dressing, keeping her eyes on the bedside clock. Dillon struck her as the type of man who arrived early for an appointment, not late.
And, as it turned out, she was right.
Hailey had just finished getting ready by the skin of her teeth. She was in the process of slipping on her high heels when she heard her doorbell ring. Hoping she didn’t look like something the cat had dragged in, she hurried to the front door and opened it.
Dillon was standing on her doorstep, looking breathtakingly handsome in jeans, a crisp shirt as blue as his eyes and a pair of tooled riding boots that looked more than broken in.
“You’re early,” she remarked, trying to cover up the fact that she was staring at him. Belatedly, she remembered to take a step back so that Dillon could come in.
His eyes traveled over the length of her, obviously enjoying the journey. “And you’re sensational. I mean...” He found himself at a loss for words.
She grinned, relieved Dillon didn’t seem to have noticed her breathless reaction to him.
“No need to correct yourself,” she quickly told him. “You can stop right there. It’s been a really rough week and an even rougher afternoon and your compliment is more than welcomed,” she assured him with feeling. And then she smiled. “Thank you.”
“I meant it,” Dillon told her. “You do look nothing short of sensational.” When he saw her reaching for it, he took her shawl in his hands and helped her slip it over her shoulders. “I kind of feel bad that I’m only taking you to the local steakhouse,” he confessed. “If I was back in Fort Lauderdale, I could take you to a really classy place, but here...”
He shrugged as his voice trailed off, indicating that he felt at a disadvantage at the shortage of upscale restaurants to choose from.
Picking up her purse, Hailey led the way out. She was eager to put Dillon at ease.
“Well, this really isn’t about the food, is it? It’s about two people going out so that they can get to know each other better.” She smiled at him as she locked her front door. “Right now, all I know about you is that you’re part of a construction firm that is busy building and renovating Rambling Rose and that you have very strong shoulders,” she added with a laugh.
“Not that strong,” Dillon corrected. “You’re not exactly heavy.”
“Still, that was a very impressive move at the flea market,” she told him as they walked to his car. “Speaking of which, I love my frog,” she said with genuine enthusiasm. “He’s officially the best piece in my collection and if it hadn’t been for you, I might have missed him entirely.”
Dillon nodded, really pleased by her reaction. “Glad I could help,” he responded.
The drive to the restaurant was a short one. Too short to get embroiled in any sort of meaningful conversation.
Dillon seemed to be fine with that. As a matter of fact, Hailey got the distinct impression that he preferred it that way.
But then, she told herself, she was probably reading too much into the stretch of silence that occurred between them.
When they were seated and the server handed them their menus, Hailey noted with a shade of minor distress that all the meals appeared to be centered around either beef or chicken.
Noticing her frown as she skimmed the menu, Dillon asked, “Anything wrong?”
She raised her eyes to his. “Hmm? No, everything’s fine,” she assured him, wanting their first outing to remain positive. “Would you know if this place offers any vegetable platters?”
He looked at her as if her question didn’t make any sense to him. “A vegetable platter?” he repeated, a little mystified. “This is Texas. Everything’s about meat here, isn’t it?”
“Not necessarily,” she told him. When she saw that he looked somewhat dismayed by her reaction, she did her best to quickly try to cover it up. “That’s all right. I just asked because I was in the mood for something light.” She didn’t dare tell him she was a vegetarian.
He thought for a second. “Why don’t you try the grilled chicken? I hear that’s light enough to float right off your plate.”
“Well, now you’ve piqued my curiosity. Okay, I’ll give the grilled chicken a try,” she said, closing her menu and putting it down beside her silverware.
Pleased that he had solved her problem, he looked back at the menu to double check something, then put it down, as well.
“Well, I know what I’m having.” He saw her raise an eyebrow, waiting for him to tell her. “The porterhouse steak. Rare,” he added. “With a serving of mashed potatoes and gravy.”
“No vegetables?” she couldn’t help asking him.
Dillon shook his head. “They’ll only take room away from the steak.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to say that the vegetables were healthier and if he had his heart set on the steak, he could at least offset his choice with a side of vegetables, but she refrained. The last thing a man on his first date with a woman wanted to hear was a lecture about his food choices.
Instead, Hailey just allowed herself to make a comment about the way he liked his food prepared. “Rare, huh?”
Dillon nodded, blissfully oblivious to her subtle meaning. “Rare,” he
